Apparatus for handling rod and wire bundles or the like



APPARATUS FOR HANDLINGROD AND WIRE BUNDLES 0R THE LIKE Filed Feb. 28, 1950 l B. N. BLETSO 5 Sheets-Sheet Sept. 11,1951

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Sept. 11, 1951 Filed Feb. 28, 1950 B. N, BLETSO 2,567,271

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING ROD AND wma BUNDLES 0R THD LINE 5 Sheena-Sheet 2 B. N. BLETso 2,567,271

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING ROD AND WIRE BUNDLES 0R THE LIRE Sept. 1l, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 28, 1950 Patented Sept. 11, 1951 APPARATUS FOR HANDLING ROD AND WIRE BUNDLES OR THE Bruce N. Bletso, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, assignor to The American Steel and Wire Company of New Jersey, a corporation of New Jersey Application February 28, 1950, Serial No. 146,783

ficient operation. Since rod and Wire are nor-v mally supplied in bundles or coils, it is necessary to provide means whereby the bundles may be so positioned before the wire-working machine that as each individual bundle is exhausted another is in position to continue the feeding without interruption.

Various types of apparatus had been used for this purpose prior to my invention but none had proven entirely satisfactory. The most simple of these consisted of a hairpin hook loaded with three or four bundles of rod or wire suspended by a crane before the entry end of the wire- Working machine. This type was unsatisfactory due to the limited capacity of the hook. The most common type of pay-off machine in use heretofore consisted of a double or triple arm rotary flipper reel. In operation thereof a bundle of rod or wire was loaded on each arm of the machine and one arm was positioned before the entry end of the wire-working machine. The bundles were connected to each other by welding their ends together so that as each bundle was exhausted the operator maintained continuous operation by rotating the arms 120 or 180 to move another bundle to feeding position. He then loaded another bundle on the empty arm and Welded its front end tothe rear end of the bundle next to it. The arms of the mechanism consisted of an upper and lower branch and were each provided with a flipper mechanism that restricted the unreeling of the bundles to single convolutions in consecutive order. A typical machine of this sort is described by G. H. Rose in his U. S. Patent No. 2,263,889.

One of the serious disadvantages inherent in this machine was the difficulty encountered when loading the arms. Each time the operator loaded an arm it was necessary for him to hold the two branches of the arm together while manually pushing the bundle thereon. This required considerable dexterity on the part of the operator 4 Claims. (Cl. 193--40) to perform the job safely. It was also necessary for him to exert considerable force when rotating the arms of the apparatus from one position to another when loaded with the bundles which weigh up to 300 pounds each.

It is accordingly an object of my present invention to provide a rod and wire handling apparatus for supporting a plurality of bundles of rod or wire and for advancing the bundles in uninterrupted sequential order to a pay-off mechanism feeding a wire processing machine.

It is another object of my invention to provide af rod and wire handling apparatus for wireworking machines which is inexpensive to construct, rugged in structure and which requires a minimum of manual manipulation for operation. Y

These and other objects will be more apparent after referring to the following specification and attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a' plan view;

Figure 2 is a side elevation; v

Figure 3 is a sectional view III- III of Figure 2;

Figure V4 isv an enlarged sectional view taken on the line IV- IV of Figure l;

Figure 5Ais an enlarged sectional view taken on the line V-V of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a schematic illustration of the sev eralY phases in the operating cycle of the inven tion; and

Figure 7 is Ya side elevational view showing a modification in the mounting of the invention.

Referring more particularly tothe drawings, reference numerals 2 and 4 indicate two C-shaped bevel ring or segmental gears which are disposed in juxtaposition and rotatively confined by two pairs of guiding brackets Iv and 8. The two pairs of brackets arearranged in spaced relation, one above the other, as most clearly seen in Figure 3. The gears are so positioned that they may be rotated in opposite directions to bring the open spaces between the ends of the gears in registry first on one side and then on the other as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The gears 2 and 4 are provided with teeth III and I2, respectively, on their adjacent faces. The gears are driven by a bevel pinion I4 which is disposed between the gears and meshes with the teeth I0 and I2 to drive one gear in a clockwise direction and the other in the counter-clockwise taken on the line direction. Pinion I4 normally meshes with both in mesh with one or the other of the gears. Pinion I4 is connected with and is driven by a suitable power source such as a geared motor I6.

An elongated skid I8, which extends from both sides of the gears 2 and 4, is supported and carried by the lower pair of guiding brackets 8 by means of' bolts-20which attachtheskid I8 to the guiding.. brackets 8, asiseen in Figure 4, A roof portion I9 joins the two sides of the skid. Openings 2I and 23 are provided in the roof portionz I 8 to permit the gears 2 and 4 to pass therethrough during rotation. The skid I8 slopes slightly from its loading end 22 towards its discharge end 24. A flipper mechanismor feeding device 25 for paying-olf the rod or wire from the bundle to the wire-working machine isv mounted on the discharge end of skid I8. The flipper mechanism shown in Figures 1` and 2 is similar to and functions in the same manner astheapparatus shown by Rose'tv in the above-mentioned ILS.- Patent No..2,263,889` andV is not claimed as partv of.. my invention... Thel top pair of guiding brackets 6 is mountedby means of boltsv 26.to-an overhanging` support member 28". The support member 28 may be suspended from; any suitable supportingstr-ucture, such as the beams29 shown in Figure.- 2.

rIwo pairsof spaced bevel idler pinions30Y and 32 are-mounted between the. inner. toothedfaces of' the gears. 2 and-4 and mesh withthe teeth I8 and I2. Pinions'. 38v and 32 are.Y not connected to1an.outsidefpower source but are driven by the gears themselves. 'If-he bevelr pinions 38 are each mounted on ashaft 34 having its ends-rotatively supportedin-beari-ngs36;.v Bearings 36 are xedly mounted on the guide bracket 8 by means of bolts 38. Pinions 32 are similarly mountedon shafts.- 40. Shafts 4U-have their endssupported bear-ingsv 42 whichv areA xedly attached. to bracket 6 by means ofy bolts 44l BearingsffiY and 42 not only support the. shafts butl also actas spacers between thepaired bracketsV 8 andthe paired`l brackets. 6, respectively. The paired pinions are so spaced around the circumference of, gears2- andl 41tha-t at-` least two of the pinions besides the main driving." pinion. I4 arel always mesh with the teeth I8 and I2 notwithstanding the position of the. gears: relative to each other. Thus; when the open'segment'Y of one gear is' opposite the pinionv I4v the gear willv continue to be rotated by at least two of the paired idler pinions 30 and 32.. Thefidler pinions also act as adifferential arrangement which stabilizes the: position of; the support: 28.- and the.A skid I8 keeping` each` in axedrelation' to -the other.

In: openation,A a plurality ofbundles of rod or wire W isplaced upon thev loading end 2-2 of skid I8' which end is t'othe leftof the gearsf2 and 4'V as viewed in- Figure 6'.- These` bundles are welded together" end-to-end by thel operator' as they are loaded.. The gears are initiallyinthe position A- ot the operating. cycleshown in Figure 6. In order to move the'wire tothe dischargefend 24 of' the skid` I8- the operator. starts' motor I8- to rotate pinion I4 andwturn the gears 2Y and 4 from positionA; asshown-in-Figure 6, through position B to position C of the operating cycle. This causes. the open spaces of both.v gears to be in registry facing the loading end` 22` of the skid. The operator-then moves the first bundle adjacent thev gears/along' skid I8'until it rests within the gears as seen in position C of Figure 6. In this position thev bundle W is still connected by its weldedend to the next adjacent bundle posi.- tionedon the loading.l endof skidY I8;` Thereafter,

the operator starts the motor I6 again to rotate the gears through position D to position E as shown, so that the open spaces of the gears are in registry facing the discharge end of the skid. The bundle of rod or wire in the gears is then pushed out by the operator and slid along the discharge end of the skid on tov the arbor bars 46 and 48 of'the iiipper mechanism-1.25. During this movement from the one side of the gears to the discharge end of the skid I8, the bundle remains connected by its welded end with the rod' orwire stillv resting on the loading end 22 of the skid. The rod or wire is fed into the wireworking machine from the arbor bars 46 and 48 in the conventional manner. The operator repeats the above described operation each time it is desired to replenish the supply of wire or rod on the arbor bars' 46 and 48.

Additional bundles of rods or wire may be placed on the entry end; 22 of skid I8 at any time without stopping. thev flow of wire-tothe flipper mechanism and tothewire-working machine.

Thus it will bev apparent` that the ring gears.2 and 4function not only as a support forv theskid I8"which is attached tothe paired-brackets but also. as a gate or. lock to permit the unobstructed movement of. the bundles of wire or rodalongthe skid I8' to the flipper mechanism 25.

It will be notedthat the. apparatus ofmy' invention. may beY mountedoverhead, as I. have shown,y or itmay. be floor mounted. Asshown in Figure '7, in thelatter case. pinion. I4 is posi.- tioned between thelower portions ofA thegears and the skid I8-is connected-to and-supportedby the upper brackets I5 which confine-- thev upper arc portions of the gears.4

W'hile one embodin'ientY of my invention has been shown. and described,y it willflbe apparent that other adaptations. and: modifications. may be made without departing from the scope. of the following claims.

L claim:

1.. Apparatusfor handling bundles of. rodor. Wire andthe. like for. use witha pay-olf mech,- anisnrwhich. comprisesa pair of. cfshaped ring gears mounted. upright1 inI juxtaposition,. means for. rotating said gears. to bring, the. spaceabee tween the end in'registry in. predeterminedposrtions, spaced bracket guide means.. enclosing an arc portion of said gears, and an. elongated.- skid mountedn on said. guide bracketmeans: and. extendingl substantially. horizontally inv bothv directions therefrom generally in. the. plane of. rota.- tion of. said gears.

2.-. Apparatus for handling bundles. of rocLorf Wire and the. like for. use Witha pay-off mechanism. which comprises. a pair. of C-shaped ring. gearseach hav-inggear teethfon oneA face there..- of mounted. upright in juxtaposition; with their toothed faces adjacent each. other,` atleast two pairs ofA spaced, guide brackets, said. pairs,- of brackets. being spaced vertically to enclose. the upper and. lower arc portions of said gears,.means for rotating said gears to bring the spaces.. be-

tween the ends.- thereof. inY registry in prede.- Y

termined. positions, said. means including. a driven pinion disposed between saidY gears,^ said pinion meshing with the teeth on" the faces of both gears, means for driving said pinion, andiat least one idler pinion.- disposed between.. said gears and in mesh with theteeth thereon, said idler pinion bei-ng spaced-from said drivenpinion, and an. elongated skid mounted on one of. said pairs of. guidev brackets.v andV extending substantially horizontally in both` directions therefrom generally in the plane of rotation of said gears.

3. Coil-handling apparatus comprising a skid adapted to have a succession of coils strung thereon and a support for said skid, said support including a pair of C-shaped ring gears disposed in juxtaposition generally in the vertical plane containing said skid, a fixed guide for said gears engaging a portion only of their circumference, said skid being attached to said guide and means for driving said gears to bring the spaces be tween the ends of the gears in registry first on one side and then on the other whereby coils strung on said skid are permitted to pass along the length thereof.

4. Coil-handling apparatus comprising a skid adapted to have a succession of coils strung thereon and a support for said skid, said support including a pair of C-shaped ring gears each having gear teeth on one face thereof disposed in juxtaposition .with their toothed faces adjacent each other and generally in the same vertical plane containing said skid, at least two pairs of xed guides for said gears, said skid being attached to one of said pairs of guides, said pairs of guides being spaced vertically to engage the upper and lower portions of the circumference of said gears, and means for driving said gears to bring the spaces between the ends of the gears in registry rst on one side and then on the other whereby coils strung on said skid are permitted to pass along the length thereof, said driving means including a driven pinion disposed between said gears, said pinion meshing with the teeth on the faces of both gears, means for driving said pinion, and at least one idler pinion disposed between said gears and in mesh with the teeth thereon, said idler pinion being spaced from said driven pinion.

BRUCE N. BLETSO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 803,405 Davis et al. Oct. 31, 1905 2,078,503 Meiser Apr. 27, 1937 

